The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1887-03-24
A LITTLE NAVAJO.
INDIANS WHO DISLIKE THE LOOKS
OF A PHOTOGRAPHIC CAMERA.

OF A PHOTOGRAPHIC CAMERA.
An Artists Attempt to Secure the Pics-
ure of Navajo Baby-A Cunning Lit
tie savase-ObHged to Give Up the
Chase.
AS we know, the Navajos are an American
tribe Of Indians, scattered for the most part
over the territories of New Mexico and Ari-
zona.- Quite a number of them live with
their families, i'll the curious little habitations
they erect, about the frontier military station
at Fort Wmgate, New Mexico. It is in this
latter place that have had the opportunity,
for over two years past, of studying many of
their ways and customs And it was here,
too. that few days ago I went out among
them with Photographic camera armed with
all English instantaneous shutter, with
view of taking few pictures of them while
they were actively engaged in some of their
very interesting games.
After having obtained four or five more or
less satisfactory plates the Indians became
quito restive, as they rather object to that
sort of thing; and, as if by common consent
they gradually disappeared, few at time,
making for one of their low conical shaped
mud huts, whore they entered through the
single small door at its side. In less than half
all hour there was none of them to be seen
outside at all, and knowing full well that they
would not appear again so long as remained
upon the ground, [ shouldered my instrument
and prepared to come away. At the time l
was standing between two of their huts, stu
ated some 800 yards apart, with a well beaten
though narrow footpath passing from ono to
the other. There were no trees within q
Of mill tbfa air helm
covered with sage brush, the plants being
from two to three feet high.
A LITTLE TEN-MONTn-oLD.
Just then one of their babies toIdled out of
the doorway of the upper hut; the child
could not have been over 10 months old, and
wore only very dirty little shirt, which
came about half way down to his ki:ccs 1t
looked more like an infant Eskimo than any
child, not white, that l know any thing about;
and it started right down the path with a
very unsteady baby waddle making for the
lower hut, where imagine its mother had
taken refuge from my mercilcss camera. /
had often longed for good picture Of a
Navajo baby III its native plains, and here
was an opportunity not to be lost. So step
ping few feet out of the way, in an instant
l had my instrument in position, focused on
the path, and, with instantaneous snap ready,
I stood quietly for my subject to pass. Ga
he toddlcd until he came within thirty feet of
me, when he suddenly stopped and, to my
surprise seemed to fully tlse il. tilc situation
At this stage l felt quiUe sure that one of
our babies, especially at this tender age,
would have begun to cry and more than
likely retraccd its steps to the hut from
whence it had issued Not SO, however, this
infant Navajo; and, mark the difference. He
1tI.tn I,,OI er,1
was evidently determined to reach the lower
! hut. Very cautiously leaving the path on
the side furthest from me, he was, in the next
instant, behind one of the sage brushes, which
something over q foot taller than the
baby. From this position he pecred through
I the leaf1esS twigS as me to see what would
do about it. A little annoyed at this turn in
affairs, [ threw the focusing cloth over my
head and turned the instrument on him.
Taking advantage of this temporary conceal
| nlent of my head, hes ran, thoroughly baby
fashion, to the next lower brush, distance
of some ten feet, where, hiding as before, lie
crouched down nnl stared at me like q young
lynx through the twigs He now looked, for
all the world, the young Indian cub at bay,
with all the native instincts of his ancestors
on the alert, and making use of all the STRAIT
egy his baby mind could muster.
AN INTERESTING PICTURE.
It was q wonderfully interesting picture to
study; but, fearing that would lose perma-
nent memen:o of it, turned to lift my in
stlllnlent, with the view of taking much
nearer position, when, again facing the brush
! where [ had last seen the baby, it was, to my
| great surprise, not there, but had scampcred
| to the next lower one, in the direction of the
/ hut for which it was bound. A full grown
/ b,,cl of tho trjha could not haua ,,ocCiI n
! managed this last movement any better As
it ran to the still next lower brush, I was
astonshed beyond measure (for, | take it,
am a 0od stalker myself how it took ad
vantage of everything that lay in the short
! intervening distance, and how, after it ar
rived at the brush, it Immediately took g
| position on the opposite side of it, from where
| it could make another quick start, and yet not
| lose sight of my movements. And, mind
you, all this from a baby only 10 month:
old at the most. As it was rapidly
gaining its point and approaching the
J. lower hut, in sheer desperation l ran up OF
its last place OF concealment, holding my
camera in such a way that I could immedi
ately place the tripod in position, which
succeeded in doing with the lens levelcd di
rectly at its head, and not three feet from it
! 1t now stood up to the full extent of its baby
helght, ana giving vent 10 a gem. imam
tile bawl, it made break for the final poin
! of its destination, for there was nothing elst
left for it to do It is almost needless to ado
that, before [ could focus and insert a plate
| my Navajo baby was out of range. And
/ fearing that its angered mother might
appear at any point, at the cry of alarm O.
! her child | Immediately forsooil the ground
| My object i'll making record of such an in
teresting case as tits Is to simply Graw atten
ton to the fact that the native instinct o.
these American Indians is exhibited in tiscil
young at a wonderfully tender age; and il
this particular they diger vastly from oul
own children at n corresponding time of life
and reared as they have been for ages, in
! civilized env:ronment.-Nature.